New rule (as Bill
Maher would say): If you make billions of dollars a year selling unhealthy
food, you don’t get to tell us to work out.

It was one thing when
Cookie Monster began telling kids to eat vegetables. Cookie Monster doesn’t
earn a living by selling cookies, and vegetables are a fantastic alternative to
cookies.

But it was a totally
different story when Ronald McDonald went all Richard Simmons on us, visiting
schools to tell kids to work out.

Exercise is a great
idea, but it’s not diet advice. Yet this is a frequent tactic of many of the
corporations that rake in profits by selling us junk.

Take Coca-Cola’s
shameless new fitness campaign. “Are you sitting on a solution?” asks a
photo on the company’s website, depicting two people cuddled up, sitting on a
beach. The thing is, they’re drinking the problem: Coca-Cola.

When I think of
eggplant, it’s usually a dish that is so smothered in tomato sauce and cheese
that you can barely even taste the eggplant. With this recipe, I kept the same
concept as the traditional version, yet made it simpler. The result is not only
a pretty presentation, but you can also taste each flavor of the ingredients.
It’s a perfect side dish or as an antipasto to enjoy the flavors of summer.

Ignorance Doesn’t Stop Journalists Misleading Public
on Environment; Climate and National Security, more…

GlobalWarmingisReal contributor
Anders Hellum-Alexander wraps-up and comments on the climate and environmental
news headlines for the past week:

It’s because of article like
this one by Jennifer Hickey published in NewsMax that so many Americans are confused
about environmental issues and renewable energy. The article’s main qualms with wind power
are that it does not produce enough energy, has unanticipated effects (killing
birds) and costs more than originally thought. The article implies that every
other energy source (oil, gas, coal) kills no animals, has no extra costs and
only took a couple of years to develop. We need real, honest, balanced
journalism if common non-expert citizens are going to understand complex issues
like renewable energy.

- See
more at:
http://www.rifuture.org/fixing-ri-part-2-why-go-green.html#sthash.Iaxc5xlj.dpuf

In Part 1, I presented a suite of “big ideas” that Rhode Island leaders
need to embrace in
order to correct out state’s economic course. To recap: they must realize that
Rhode Island is its own economic entity and gear policy accordingly. They must
look outward and tap into international markets. And they must develop and
steward a unique, exportable product.

This product? Sustainability.

Environmental non-profits like the Sierra Club have been championing this for years.
Former Congressional candidate David Segal included this as a significant piece
of his platform in 2010, and our current Congressional delegation - our junior Senator in particular – have pushed for
environmentally-friendly carbon-reducing initiatives at the federal level.

A substance that has
been found at elevated levels in the blood of people likely to kill themselves
could lead to a simple diagnostic test for suicide risk, researchers report
August 20 in Molecular Psychiatry.

Right now, clinicians
rely on people’s self-reported symptoms and feelings to decide who is in need
of immediate help, but a person intent on suicide isn’t always forthcoming. An
unambiguous blood test would show clinicians who is in immediate danger.

Climate
change is set to trigger more frequent and severe heat waves in the next 30
years regardless of the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) we emit into
the atmosphere, a new study has shown.

Extreme
heat waves such as those that hit the US in 2012 and Australia in 2009 --
dubbed three-sigma events by the researchers -- are projected to cover double
the amount of global land by 2020 and quadruple by 2040.

Even before Edward
Snowden disclosed that the National Security Agency (NSA) was harvesting
seemingly every detail of our digital lives, our nation has been wrestling with
a Faustian bargain: How do we maintain fundamental American rights of liberty
and privacy while responding to the need to keep our country safe?

For many Americans,
the debate never really hit home until Snowden leaked details of the
government’s massive domestic surveillance programs.

Even
though Charlestown seems to be pulling back a bit from its near-total ban on
release of public records under the state open records law, there are still some
serious unsettled issues about Charlestown’s open government policies. Hopefully, some of those issues will be addressed soon by the RI Attorney General’s decision on the
formal complaint I filed with the state Attorney General that alleges
Charlestown violated the Access
to Public Records Act.

QUICK
BACKGROUND: I filed the complaint on July 21 after Town Clerk Amy Weinreich
claimed she no longer maintained custody of public court filings in Charlestown's lawsuits, specifically the Town’s
July filing with the court seeking to regain “standing” in the Whalerock
wind turbine case and Whalerock’s
argument against it. I filed an appeal with Town Administrator Mark
Stankiewicz and he stood by Ms. Weinreich’s claim that she no longer maintained
custody of these records.

Perhaps
one of the most defining features of humanity is our capacity for empathy --
the ability to put ourselves in others' shoes. A new University of Virginia
study strongly suggests that we are hardwired to empathize because we closely
associate people who are close to us -- friends, spouses, lovers -- with our
very selves.

PROVIDENCE
- The Department of Environmental Management (DEM) and the Rhode Island Department of Health, (HEALTH) announce
that two samples of mosquitoes collected on August 19 have tested positive for
West Nile Virus (WNV). These findings are not unexpected at this time of the
year. Test results on the remaining 140 pools of mosquitoes collected on August
19 are pending at the RI Health Department laboratory.

One sample, or pool, of mosquitoes was collected
in theCross Mills area of Charlestown, and was a species that can bite both
birds and humans. Given this positive finding, DEM and HEALTH are
advising individuals attending the RI Rhythm and Roots Music Festival this
weekend in Charlestown's Ninigret Park to take extra care to avoid mosquito
bites.

The second positive WNV mosquito pool was
collected in West Kingston and was a species that feeds exclusively on birds.

From: Allison Winter, ENN.com
Tobacco packaging warning messages have recently been required on cigarettes
and other tobacco products in many countries worldwide in an effort to enhance
the public's awareness of the harmful effects of smoking.

In a similar fashion, a
Canadian campaign is calling for all gasoline pumps to have warning labels on
nozzles to inform consumers on the effects fuels have on climate change.

“Stop the moochers!”
shouted a flock of GOP budget whackers in the House of Representatives.

It was back in July,
before they flapped away for their five-week long summer break. This was the
battle cry of conservative House lawmakers as they ripped all food stamp
funding out of the Farm Bill in a symbolic move.

They say they’re
shocked that use of this safety-net program has jumped so dramatically in
recent years. Crying that “those” people are costing us money, the House
approved a version of the Farm Bill that stripped out the long-running program
that gets food to the poor.

I
recently reported that Jackson has now failed to file the last five
campaign finance disclosure reports and now owes fines of just under $1600 to
the state Board of Elections.

I
just received a letter
from the RI Ethics Commission notifying me that they have upheld my
complaint against Jackson for failing to file the required annual financial
disclosure form that all candidates for public office must file. Though that
complaint took a while to reach that point, this one was a slam dunk since (a)
Tina Jackson was a candidate for public office (and her campaign committee is
still active, according to the Board of Elections); (b) candidates must file financial
disclosure reports and (c) she didn’t.

Partly because it
appears there as only an indistinct spot, it is rarely referred to with a
moniker. When imaged with the Earth-orbiting Hubble Space Telescope, however, great details are revealed.

Studying Hubble images
of NGC 7027 have led to the understanding that it is a planetary nebula that began expanding about 600 years ago, and that the cloud of gas and dust is unusually massive as it
appears to contain about three times the mass of our Sun.

Picturedbelow in assigned colors, the resolved, layered, and dust-laced
features of NGC 7027 might remind sky enthusiasts of a familiar icon that could be the basis for
an informal name.

Rhode
Island is first in the nation with utility tariff so municipalities can own
streetlights

Charlestown's plan for its light poles. Let there be light. Not.

By Representative
Deborah Ruggiero (Jamestown, Middletown)

Streetlights
may not sound exciting, but the Municipal Streetlight Investment Act, which I
championed this legislative session, with co-sponsors Reps. Donna Walsh, Teresa
Tanzi and Larry Valencia, and is now law in Rhode Island, can save our cities
and towns about $3 million a year.

Legislation
like this isn’t a one-person show, I’m grateful for the collaboration from so
many key players. The research was developed with a grant from the Rhode Island
Foundation and included a great team with Jeff Broadhead from Washington County
Regional Planning Council, environmental attorney Seth Handy, researcher Dan
Carrigg and Commissioner Marion Gold from the Office of Energy Resources.
Thanks to Senate and House leadership for their support.

Currently,
streetlights in Rhode Island are owned by the utility company, which for the
most part is National Grid. The utility charges cities and towns a standard
rate approved by the Public Utilities Commission.

Rhode
Island will be the first in the nation with a utility tariff that offers street
lighting controls as an option to ALL municipal customers. This allows more
efficient street lighting because now cities and towns can control the fixtures
to use energy-efficient lights like LEDs. LEDs are also bright white (not that
“dirty yellow” of sodium lights) so bicycles and people are shown clearly.

Editor's note: This is
the first installment of a new feature looking at trends behind the headlines.

Wednesday marks the
50th anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I have a dream" speech
during the civil rights march in Washington, D.C.

60 percent of Americans oppose "non-violent civil
disobedience" protesting government or business actions contributing to
climate change. That's about where the nation was in 1961 on civil rights.

As the nation marks
that landmark, it's worth a moment to contrast public opinion in the 1960s on
civil rights sit-ins against the public's view today concerning civil
disobedience on climate change.

Last week researchers
at Yale and George Mason universities released survey results showing that 60 percent of Americans
opposed "non-violent civil disobedience" protesting government or
business actions contributing to climate change.

That's about where
America was in 1961 when a Gallup Poll asked whether "'sit-ins' at lunch
counters, 'Freedom Buses,' and other demonstrations by Negroes will hurt or
help the Negro's chances of being integrated in the South?"

Sea
level is rising and increasing the risk of destructive flooding events during
powerful coastal storms. At the same time, increasing coastal development and a
growing population are putting more people and more property in harm's way.

This
risky pattern of development is being reinforced by the taxpayer-subsidized
National Flood Insurance Program, which sets artificially low insurance rates
that do not reflect the true risks to coastal properties. When major disasters
strike, taxpayers nationwide are left liable for billions of dollars in
insurance claims and disaster relief.

PROVIDENCE - The Department of Environmental Management's Division of Fish & Wildlife, in partnership with RI Pheasants Forever
and the Federated RI Sportsmen's Clubs, will offer a free training workshop and
orientation for junior pheasant hunters aged 12 to 14 on Saturday, September 7
from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Great Swamp Shooting Range in West Kingston. The
session is open to all junior hunters who have completed a hunter education
class.

Topics that will be covered during the workshop
include proper gear and clothing; rules and regulations for pheasant hunting;
pheasant habitat and behavior, with live pheasants on hand for demonstration
and discussion; gun safety in the field; introduction to hunting dogs; clay
target shooting; and information about the October 12-13 junior pheasant
hunting weekend.

DEM will
provide safety gear, along with 12 and 20-gauge ammunition. Participants may
bring their own shotgun or borrow one that will be provided during the session.
Lunch and assistance will be provided by RI Pheasants Forever and the Federated
RI Sportsmen's Clubs.

Town unloads lots of
records about the Whalerock deal AFTER
the deal was doneThese documents raise questions that should have been addressed

By Will Collette

FYI: the closing on the Whalerock deal DID NOT happen on August 27 as proposed. In Charlestown’s Bizarro World, the key to intelligent and
informed debate is for the public to have access
to information about important issues after
the decisions have already been made by the CCA-Party controlled Town
Council. No reason why the Whalerock wind turbine controversy should be any
different.

On Friday, August 23, the day after the Town Council
majority’s decision to spend every nickel of available open space/recreation
bond money to buy the Whalerock property, the town sent me key documents containing
crucial detail which I assume they expected me to cover in Progressive Charlestown. In Washington where I worked for 25 years, a Friday
release of mounds of important documents on controversial subjects is called “taking out the trash.”
Lawyers use the term “document
dump.”

As readers know, I
have advocated the town’s purchase of that property since 2011 and have
been pushing it hard since we reached the final stages of the battle. Also,
since the Town Council has made the deal and decided not to give voters the
final say, the issue is pretty academic at this point.

However, unless Charlestown totally embraces Niccolò Machiavelli’s
principle that “the ends justify the means,” it makes sense to review the
process Charlestown used to get to an end point that more or less lines up with
what most residents wanted to happen. That meant wading through over 300 pages of documents.

Within the next few
weeks millions of children (and adults) will be forced to say goodbye to summer
and head back to school. As much of challenge it is transition from summer mode
to school mode, I find back to school preparations and shopping particularly
tasking. Even when sticking to the list of absolute necessities considerately
provided by my teachers, I always wonder if I am making the right decisions,
ecologically and financially. Below I have compiled a list of tips for students
and parents who want to make eco-friendly decisions when heading back to
school.

PROVIDENCE
- The Department of Environmental Management announces that test results from
one mosquito pool, or sample, from a trap set in the southern part of Tiverton
has been confirmed positive for Highlands J Virus.

The positive Highlands J
result was from a species of mosquitoes that bites birds. Highlands J virus is
a bird disease that doesn't affect humans, but which is an indicator that
environmental conditions are appropriate for the transmission of other
mosquito-borne viruses.

Charlestown is not on her schedule, so this is the best we can expect.

I’m hoping that
Raimondo will come with plenty of tips for retirees who now face greatly
diminished pension payments as a result of the state’s pension “reform”
cutbacks which she spearheaded.

One of the key elements to dealing with your
finances is to make a good plan that is realistically based on your projected
income and expenses. That’s what many
retirees did as they prepared for their own retirement – they calculated their
incomes based on the pension income they were promised and which many of them
actually paid for, and they made adjustments in their lifestyles, such as
down-sizing their homes.

What will become of
these galaxies? Spiral
galaxies NGC 5426 and NGC 5427 are passing dangerously close to each
other, but each is likely to survive this collision.

Typically when galaxies collide, a large
galaxy eats a much smaller galaxy. In this case, however, the two galaxies are
quite similar, each being a sprawling spiral with
expansive arms and a compact core.

As the galaxies advance
over the next tens of millions of years, their component stars are unlikely to
collide, although new stars will form in the bunching of gas caused by gravitational
tides. Close inspection of the image taken by the 8-meter Gemini-South Telescope in Chile shows a bridge of
material momentarily connecting the two giants.

The
use of LSD, magic mushrooms, or peyote does not increase a person's risk of
developing mental health problems, according to an analysis of information from
more than 130,000 randomly chosen people, including 22,000 people who had used
psychedelics at least once.

Researcher
Teri Krebs and clinical psychologist Pål-Ørjan Johansen, from the Norwegian
University of Science and Technology's (NTNU) Department of Neuroscience, used
data from a US national health survey to see what association there was, if any,
between psychedelic drug use and mental health problems.

The
authors found no link between the use of psychedelic drugs and a range of
mental health problems. Instead they found some significant associations
between the use of psychedelic drugs and fewer mental health problems.

The
results are published in the journal PLOS ONE and are freely
available online after 19 August.

We’re a little too
accustomed to the hunker-down-in-the-dark, pioneer-lifestyle of power outages
thanks to freak Nor’easters and superstorms. Generators are the obvious way to
keep some of your creature comforts, but how much do they cost here in town and
where did you buy one?

We don’t know too much
about the giant leatherback turtles, the world’s second biggest reptile behind
the crocodile, that summer offshore of the Ocean State and all over the Eastern
Seaboard.

We know they come to
feast on jellyfish. We know the females lay eggs in surf-side nests in South
America, the Caribbean and as far north as Florida and that the males never
again return to shore. But we don’t even know how long they live. After they
hatch they swim sometimes thousands of miles out into the deep sea and even
researches don’t see much of them again.

I live in Charlestown on the town line with Westerly, the
frontline of the battle against the Copar Quarry in Bradford.

This is my third
article in Progressive Charlestown where I try to describe what it is like to
live with such an unneighborly neighbor. In this article, I will talk about how
life used to be, “before Copar,” and how our community might heal “after
Copar.”

Recently, the Charlestown Town Council decided to spend 2.1
million taxpayers’ dollars to buy almost 80 acres owned by Larry Leblanc. This money
is to be spent to halt the possible building of a wind turbine farm on that
acreage.

I wondered why the Westerly Town Council hasn't considered doing
something similar with the quarry site, since it is also an environmentally
important location that abuts the Woody Hill management area. Access could have
been provided for people to enjoy the area. Westerly may not realize what is being lost.

Reading through a recently released Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) report
at first reveals the obvious: eating more fruits and vegetables is healthier
for you. But the report, The $11 Trillion Dollar Reward, goes further in
placing a dollar value on the benefits of a healthier society. The UCS study
suggests a revamp of our nation's agriculture policy is in order to get more
local fruits and vegetables on the table and less reaching out of a car window
to grab another bagged fast food meal.

Global damage from
flooding could cost coastal cities as much as US$1 trillion per year — and
developing countries will be hardest hit, a study warns.

According to the paper
published today in Nature Climate Change, a "risk sensitive planning"
strategy is needed to protect coastal cities, which are increasingly at risk
because of climate change, subsidence and a growing population.

The researchers looked
at the 136 largest coastal cities in the world and found that cities in
developing countries are particularly vulnerable to flood losses as they often
lack resources for long term planning.

Eating a fish-rich diet
may help counteract some bad effects of having a genetic variant linked to
diabetes, a new study suggests.

A common variation of
the gene called TCF7L2 has been linked to higher risk of type
2 diabetes. The variant, known as the T form, may also raise the risk of heart
disease and stroke, but studies have had mixed results. Part of the uncertainty
may stem from people’s diets, a study published August 13 in Diabetes Care suggests.

While several of the
ideas presented were very good (improvements to infrastructure and the city’s
public schools, oft cited as pressing issues, and rightfully so) and other
still were not (sports facilities have generally done little to drastically
alter the economic trajectory of a metropolitan region), I couldn’t help but
think that these ideas weren’t really that big. What our leaders need to do is
to really think big in three ways: the local geographic sense, the global
geographic sense, and the economic sense.